Take Five

This is my biggest rule for living a happy life on the road you would like to be traveling. This method keeps me focused on who I am, where I am going, and what is important. I call it "Take Five", because it only takes five minutes.

"Take Five" has a religious (any religion) version and a secular version, both of which I've used at various points in my life.

"Take Five" The Religious Way
1. Make a list ahead of time, written or mental, of things you want to pray for. They can be anything you want, but remember, the pointof this is to get you relaxed and refocused on who and what you are and would like to be. Think carefully; these five minutes will be the most meaningful of your day.
2. Pray. Just start talking to God--that's all. Monologue for a while. Sometimes God will answer right then and there (you'll feel it); sometimes you'll see tangible results a day or two later; sometimes you'll just feel more relaxed. Consider any of the above an answer to your prayer.

"Take Five" The Secular Way
1. Focus on your inner self. Clear away all thoughts. I recommend learning self-hypnosis, but you can also just breathe deeply.
2. a. If you have studied self-hypnosis (I willnot post instructions here, but they're not hard to find), go into trance. Stay there for awhile. Enjoy yourself.
2. b. If you are not the hypnosis type, just close your eyes, breathe deeply, and empty your mind. Quiet your thoughts and enjoy the rare internal silence.
3. Open your eyes and just sit for awhile. Think about the trance or the silence (depending on whether you followed 2.a. or 2.b.). Consider what you have to do to make yourself feel more relaxed. Plan to eliminate clutter in your life. Think about who you are and who you want to be by the end of the next day. MAke the necessary preparations, physical and mental.

Neither of these methods takes more than five minutes. I try always to "Take Five" before I go to bed. (At the moment I favor the religious way, but this past summer I was really into the secular way.) NO matter what kind of day I've had, After "Take Five" I always go to sleep at peace with myslef and my world.